Medical Assistant job, 24 hours/week, worth it for a sophomore?

[Turambar]

I have a job offer coming for a medical assistant position with a strong hospital network in my area. I'm not certified, but they are willing to train me and I willing to learn. It pays a bit better than the position I have now as a retail pharmacy technician, which I love and I'm great at, and the specialty of the clinic is interesting to me also. I don't feel emotionally prepared to leave my pharmacy team and I would want to stay on for maybe one four-hour shift a week.

I'll be transferring from CC to a four year this Fall, and my first semester will be biology with lab, chemistry with lab, and precalculus, for a biochem major. The pharm tech job would be a lot more flexible, and I could work as little as I need to concentrate on school. On the other hand, wouldn't the clinical experience working as a medical assistant be extremely valuable, and wouldn't it impacts my resume? Or can I get that sort of experience elsewhere, paid or not? Would it be an advisable to accept this position, when I know I'll be in an academically rigorous major? Would I be making a mistake by not doing it?

This whole process is really making me evaluate my priorities, and I'm just concerned that they aren't all aligned with my long-term goals. Advice?


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[piii]

You should take the clinical job because it'll be way better experience and more pay.

No offense but it's just silly that you are "not emotionally prepared to leave" your pharm job...

 

[Turambar]

You should take the clinical job because it'll be way better experience and more pay.

No offense but it's just silly that you are "not emotionally prepared to leave" your pharm job...

Yeah, I know it's silly but I'm leaning towards turning down the job. By "emotionally ready" I mean to say that while my team is a component of the decision, I also know can work as few hours there as I need in order to concentrate on school, whereas the other job isn't going to be so flexible. I have a sleep disorder that sometimes effects my attendance though, and they're very accommodating--something that means a lot to me. I can't simply ignore these benefits to my current position, because I'm not sure if this new employer will be so understanding. I'm not sure if I can afford tied down 24 hours a week during the semester of my entry to a new school, when I know I need straight A's to make my plans work. I'm dealing with a lot of unknowns here.

 

[AvacadosAtLaw]

If it were me I would not want to start a new job while transferring to a new school. That will be an adjustment and you don't want your GPA to take a hit. Also if you really love your pharmacy job I wouldn't quit it for a job you seem less excited about and would be less flexible. There are plenty of other ways to gain clinical experience that won't require such a big time commitment. Plenty of premeds now take entry level jobs in positions like being a medical assistant so it won't make you stand out too much. I say keep your current job, give yourself some time to adjust to your new school, maybe find some clinical volunteering to do, and if you change your mind later you can always try to get the job again.


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[Turambar]

If it were me I would not want to start a new job while transferring to a new school. That will be an adjustment and you don't want your GPA to take a hit. Also if you really love your pharmacy job I wouldn't quit it for a job you seem less excited about and would be less flexible. There are plenty of other ways to gain clinical experience that won't require such a big time commitment. Plenty of premeds now take entry level jobs in positions like being a medical assistant so it won't make you stand out too much. I say keep your current job, give yourself some time to adjust to your new school, maybe find some clinical volunteering to do, and if you change your mind later you can always try to get the job again.

This is my line of thinking. It's a very attractive position for sure and I'd love to spend more time around docs of this specialty because the subject fascinates me, but I don't know that it'd be an experience I should pursue at the expense of my studies. I am also worried that in turning down the position I'll have burnt bridges with the hospital's HR department, in case I seek volunteer opportunities in the future - I'm not sure if this is a realistic or ignorant concern, however.

 

[ace_inhibitor111]

You're taking 3 important pre-med classes next semester at a new (and likely more rigorous) school. There is research showing that students working 20+ hours a week tend to take hits on their GPA. I say decline the job, no-one's going to beat you up for it. While a MA position is nice to have, it's really not that impressive and you can easily substitute it with clinical volunteering. Plus, you already have a job, so the incremental benefit from taking the MA position is even smaller.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

Applying to med school is something done on your timeline, no one elses. Don't feel forced into applying early because friends or colleagues are or because you think you are getting "too old". I say all this because a lot of posts, including this, seem to asking "Am I doing enough?" when it should be "Am I doing too much?". If the tech job is more flexible, stick with that. The most important thing is to do well in the classroom.

Before an AdCom even looks at your work history, they're going to look at your GPA. A 3.8 and a part time gig as a Pharm Tech is going to look better than a 3.3 and a gig as a Med Assistant. If you're worried about burning brides, just be honest with HR. Tell them that while you would love to take the position, but you have hesitations about beginning training with a new jobs while also starting classwork at a new university. If the HR folks are marginally intelligent, they'll understand your need for this balance. They won't want to hire someone who may either struggle or need to leave the position in the first few months.

As for the resume building, the threshold for some schools isn't that great. I have friends from my post-bacc who had only 300 hours and got in to MD programs. That's only 6 hours/week. Or if push comes to shove, take a glide year, work as a Med Assistant and you'll still have 1000+ hours on your app.

 

[Turambar]

I left a message with the recruiter in HR to call back - I think that, as long as I'm upfront and apologetic, it should only be a minor inconvenience. I still feel badly for wasting their time, but it wouldn't be responsible to commit to the position, given my circumstances and my priorities. Thanks for all of your help, guys. I'm passing up a good opportunity here, but by no means a unique one. I'll have time to find more for myself, on my own time, as the poster above stated.

 

[Turambar]

You're taking 3 important pre-med classes next semester at a new (and likely more rigorous) school. There is research showing that students working 20+ hours a week tend to take hits on their GPA. I say decline the job, no-one's going to beat you up for it. While a MA position is nice to have, it's really not that impressive and you can easily substitute it with clinical volunteering. Plus, you already have a job, so the incremental benefit from taking the MA position is even smaller.

Could you by chance link me to this study? I know it exists, but I can't seem to find it anywhere and I think it'd be good for me to read some scientific, evidence-based conclusions which bear relevance to my decision.

 

[popopopop]

Would it raise an eyebrow to be a pharm-tech when you're applying to med school? I'm genuinely curious and throwing it out there.

 

[ace_inhibitor111]

Could you by chance link me to this study? I know it exists, but I can't seem to find it anywhere and I think it'd be good for me to read some scientific, evidence-based conclusions which bear relevance to my decision.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3200/JACH.56.6.675-679

 

[Turambar]

Would it raise an eyebrow to be a pharm-tech when you're applying to med school? I'm genuinely curious and throwing it out there.

Maybe a little; I don't think it'd harm me. They might ask why I'm not pursuing pharmacy school, and I have personal reasons - good ones - why that is. I find the patient interaction enriching in my current job. I've gained a working knowledge of the legal aspects of medicine and I've developed my leadership abilities. The way I see it is that, if I told this clinic during the interview/screening process that my skills from being a PT would translate well into a position as an MA, and they were convinced and willing to train me even though experienced candidates were their preference, I'll be fine drawing comparison and framing the relevance of my experience when asked those sorts of questions.

 

[Turambar]

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.3200/JACH.56.6.675-679

Thank you, this is helpful!

 

[popopopop]

Maybe a little; I don't think it'd harm me. They might ask why I'm not pursuing pharmacy school, and I have personal reasons - good ones - why that is. I find the patient interaction enriching in my current job. I've gained a working knowledge of the legal aspects of medicine and I've developed my leadership abilities. The way I see it is that, if I told this clinic during the interview/screening process that my skills from being a PT would translate well into a position as an MA, and they were convinced and willing to train me even though experienced candidates were their preference, I'll be fine drawing comparison and framing the relevance of my experience when asked those sorts of questions.

Nicely put man. Don't forget customer service. That's huge in healthcare. I would keep the pharm-tech job in that case. 24 hours a week is a no joke, not including commute and meetings and the endless calls they'll asking you to cover other shifts. I think you made the right decision. You can shadow and volunteer now with a more flexible schedule.